Satirical Video Shared as Boris Johnson Questioned by Anti-Corruption Unit

The satirical video was posted by political campaign group 'Led by Donkeys'.

A video, which shows United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson being questioned over 'partygate', among a host of other issues, by anti-corruption squad 'AC-12', is being shared on social media, claiming that the "former British PM was being interrogated" and this "can't be imagined in India."

The video comes in the backdrop of Johnson stepping down as the prime minister of the country on 7 July following a wave of government resignations and a revolt from his own Cabinet, citing his leadership as a reason.

However, we found that it is a satirical video posted by political campaign group 'Led By Donkeys' in January. It shows edited scenes from a popular crime drama series called Line of Duty.

Moreover, though Johnson announced his resignation on 7 July as the leader of the Conservative party, he will remain as the prime minister until his successor is elected, as according to the Constitution, there needs to be a PM at all times.

CLAIM

The video is being shared along with the claim that reads, "Investigation of Boris Johnson the Ex Prime Minister of United Kingdom. Can't imagine this happening in India or somewhere else. Salute to the brave police and Investigation officers of UK. It can be a lesson for others. (sic)"

Social media users have shared the video on Twitter and Facebook, and the archived links can be seen here, here, here and here.

WHAT WE FOUND

We watched the 7:17-minute video shared along with the claim, and at the end of the video, there was a text that read 'Led by Donkeys'.

Taking this as a cue, we conducted a keyword search, and found a video by The Guardian published on 19 January.

The article read that the satirical video was posted by artists 'Led By Donkeys', and purports to show Johnson being questioned by AC-12 investigators Ted Hastings, Steve Arnott, and Kate Fleming.

Next, we looked with keywords on YouTube, and found the video posted on the channel of 'Led by Donkeys' on 13 April. The video's title read, "It’s not just the parties. He lies about everything."

We also found the video posted on the verified Twitter account of 'Led by Donkeys' on 18 January, which has 8.4 million views at the time of writing this article.

The caption read, "If you've got one shred of compassion for all those families who sacrificed so much, who lost so much, you’ll go."

The video was also retweeted by the Line of Duty writer Jed Mercurio who called it "brilliant work."

Clearly, a satirical video on Boris Johnson is being shared on social media with the false claim that shows the PM being interrogated by corruption officers in reality.

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